A Superb Sepik River Hook Figure, Papua New Guinea

Charles Ratton, Paris, by 1934
Jacques Sarlie, New York
Parke Bernet, New York, October 11, 1968, lot 87
Ted and Margaret Weiner, Fort Worth, acquired at the above auction
Gwendolyn Weiner, Texas, by descent from the above
Sotheby's, November 18, 1997, lot 115
Acquired by the present owner at the above auction

Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York, Oceanic Art: Polynesia - Melanesia, October 29 - November 17, 1934

Pierre Matisse Gallery, Oceanic Art: Polynesia - Melanesia, New York, 1934, no. 41 (referenced as "Large Mask with Hooks. Augusta River, New Guinea")
Philippe Peltier, "From Oceania" in William Rubin (ed.), Primitivism in 20th Century Art. Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern, New York, 1984, p. 115

Good condition overall; carved with metal tools from a possibly stone carved canoe, as is typical for Sepik River as well as Papuan Gulf spirit figures and boards; both legs broken at hips and reattached with some glue visible on the reverse; insect damage on bottom of torso, mainly visible on the reverse; proper right end of right hook missing; age cracks throughout, nicks and scratches, wear and tear; fine aged patina with red, yellow and white pigment.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Ted Weiner (1911-1979), independent oil operator, art collector, and patron, began collecting actively in 1951, and amassed an extensive collection of paintings and sculpture. The collection featured contemporary sculptures by artists such as Harry Bertoia, Gerhard Marcks, Pablo Picasso, Edgar Degas, Alexander Calder, Jacques Lipchitz, Marino Marini, and Henry Moore.

This superb hook figure, previously in the Weiner and Ratton collections, stylistically relates to a group of shields from the middle Sepik River in Papua New Guinea (cf. Tomkins Collection accession no. 'TC 418'). Its highly inventive iconography featuring a powerful waterspirit with a mask-like face above two backward turned legs and small hooks instead of the feet, is, to all we know, unique and perfectly embodies what Frederick R. Pleasants described in his preface to the catalogue of the 1934 exhibition Oceanic Art: Polynesia - Melanesia at Pierre Matisse Gallery, in which the present figure was included: "That persistent concern with the exterior characteristics of nature, which governed later European art, does not interest the savage. It is the idea, such as he envisions it, that is of dominating importance."

The Ratton provenance is confirmed by a photo card from the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU (The Museum of Primitive Art Archives, NG-13 IATMUL D-52, negative number 388, catalogued 1965).